Hand-held Cell Phone Use: 12 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Beginning in October 2013, all laws will be primary enforcement—an officer may cite a driver for using a hand-held cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place.
Most studies show that drivers on cells phones are twice as likely to miss traffic signals, their reaction time is slower to the signals they do detect, and their risk of causing a crash increases by 400%. Using hands free equipment has not been proven to improve driver performance while on the cell phone. It is the phone conversation and the intensity of it that distracts a driver and causes the crash. All studies have found that talking on a cell phone is a major distraction.

Young Drivers Report the Highest Level of Phone Involvement in Crash or Near-Crash Incidences

About two-thirds (68%) of young drivers 18 to 20 are willing to answer incoming phone calls on some, most, or all driving trips, and most continue to drive, at slightly higher rates than older drivers.

Young drivers 18 to 20 have the highest incidence of self-reported crash or near-crash experiences compared to all other age groups and the highest incidence of phone involvement at the time of the crash or near-crash.

Like older drivers, most young drivers do not think that talking on a phone while driving affects their driving performance. When it comes to texting while driving, only about 1 out of 5 young drivers think that texting makes no difference to their driving performance. Young drivers under 25 were more aware than older age groups that they drift out of the lane or roadway and were more likely to report that they drive slower when texting.

Drivers under 25 are much more likely to text while driving than all other age groups, and the incidence of texting while driving drops with every age group to less than 1% for those 65 and older. For those who text while driving; most continue to drive. Young drivers are less likely to pull over then send their messages than older age groups, but sometimes hand the phone to a passen­ger. Young drivers are less likely to say something to a driver who is sending a text message while driving than older age groups.